How do you find the motivational stories in your life?

You can find the motivational stories in your life the same way you may find inspirational stories. But what is the difference between the two? Think of motivation as more of an action word.

Motivational stories move me to do something... where inspirational stories simply move me. Does that make one more powerful than the other? Not necessarily. It all depends on the desired outcome.

Do you want to move someone emotionally and make them feel your pain? Or do you want to move someone in a more literal way and make them want to do something about their own pain? Neither is better than the other... and really, there is just a slight difference.

For example, think about the story of Michael Phelps. He worked his hiney off to go to the Olympics and make history by winning eight gold medals in one Olympic games. Is his story inspirational? I definitely think so. But does it move you to want to do the same thing? Probably not.

So...

To build a motivational story, you need to inspire another to act. They must be so compelled by your actions (or sometimes, lack thereof) that they are moved to make actions in their own lives.

But where are these dang "motivational stories" in your life?

Still can't think of anything? Okay, here's some food for thought...

Start by remembering times when you were motivated to do something. For example, have you ever had a friend who worked her butt off and lost a lot of weight? Whether it was jealousy, or pride in your friend, maybe her hard work motivated you to do the same for yourself.

Or maybe you are someone who worked very hard in life to get to where you are professionally.

Are you beginning to see a pattern? It's easy to find a motivational story in the things you've worked the hardest for... the things that you are most proud of yourself for.

On the other end of the spectrum, maybe you have failed miserably. Heck, I have definitely had some of those moments in my life. And to be honest, my failures have motivated me far more than my successes have.

So it's just as easy (or maybe easier, in some cases) to find motivational stories in all of our successes and failures. And as humans, we all have some of each. That's the good news... turns out you do have motivational stories after all!

What I have learned, is whether you are writing about success or failure, if you do it in a way that creates motivation, you will begin to experience a new sense of relief.

Why? Because every time you put your life, your experiences, your triumphs, or your failures into words, you begin to see them in new light. At first, you may experience intense emotion that comes from reliving some of these events... but then, you begin to feel free... and proud.

Even if you handled the situation poorly, writing about your experience in a motivational way will take you on a path of discovery. You will learn more about yourself and if you haven't already, you will learn from your mistakes.

How do you make your story motivational? How do you write it so that it is motivational?

It's easier than you may think. It doesn't matter if you are writing for your eyes only, or if you are writing to share with others. The truth is, that people find it easy to be inspired by and motivated by people that they like.

So as you begin to write, be yourself. Write as if you were telling this story to your best friend. And if you're still too intimidated to write... pretend you're telling the story to your dog. I usually tell my cat (pictured on the right), but she never complains when I tell her stories... so yes, that really is my advice.

You can do it... and once you get started, pouring your heart out, you won't be able to stop. Challenge yourself to simply get started. Write as if you're telling someone the story face-to-face. Be honest and humble, and I know your story will be great!

When you're honest with yourself and in your writing, the motivation will show up on the page, so don't get tied up in trying to figure out how to make your story motivating. If it is a motivational story in real life, it will be on paper too.

Remember, you are your biggest critic.

And I believe that we all have the power to, at the very least, heal ourselves and relieve our stress. If a fantastic story comes out of it, then that's just icing on the cake.

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